King's Academy, June 13, 2010—After three years of classes, exams, challenges and memories, the Class of 2010 made the transition from students to graduates as King's Academy held its first commencement ceremony on the afternoon of June 3.

The day began with a senior breakfast at the Beit Al Mudeer hosted by Headmaster Eric Widmer. Seniors and faculty enjoyed a delicious spread, and were visited by a special guest-a camel bearing gifts which the seniors surprised their departing headmaster with.

Later in the day the commencement ceremony began with a procession of the faculty led by the Royal Bagpipers in the Widmer Inversion Gantlet (WIG). This was headed by His Majesty King Abdullah II, Dr. Widmer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Professor Safwan M. Masri and Emerita Dean of the Faculty Dr. Meera Viswanathan. The seniors then filed in led by their class dean, John Leistler and by Dean of Students Julianne Puente.

Dr. Widmer warmly welcomed parents, honored guests and the school community, and reflected on the importance of the day. To the Class of 2010, he said: "I congratulate you, I celebrate you, for the diplomas you receive today attest to so much. They have been fiercely earned and they are proudly bestowed."

This was followed by greetings from Dr. Masri, who reminded the graduates the responsibility that they carry as the very first ambassadors of King's.

"Remember that your performance at university and in your future careers should always reflect your King's Academy experience," he said. "I know that in the future people will look at you, your accomplishments and your achievements and they will say: ‘This was a King's Academy student'."

Student orations came next, as Zaha Abuelsamen and Hussein Hassan addressed their classmates and the audience in Arabic and English, respectively.

Then Dr. Viswanathan presented the Academy Cup  to Valedictorian Fawaz Al Hourani and the King Abdullah II Award—the beautiful marble and mahogany rendition of the King's Academy logo—in memoriam to Ahmad Tarawneh, the senior who tragically passed away just two months ago. The honor was accepted by Tarawneh's brother.

His Majesty delivered the ceremony's keynote address, expressing his pride in the graduates as they set out on their next journey.

Members of the Class of 2010 will be heading off to universities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and across the Middle East. They have been accepted into over 165 institutions of higher education, including over 50 Ivy League and top-tier universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, McGill and the American University of Beirut (AUB).